"You know an
event is
popular if
parking is
hard to find
but people
don’t mind
walking a
bit to get
in anyway -
such is the
annual
International
Food
Festival
organised by
Islamic
Society Gold
Coast," Mr
Hussain
Baba,
secretary of
the Islamic
Society of
Gold Coast,
told CCN.

"It was
appropriate
the event
fell on
Australia
Day because
it attracted
people from
across the
spectrum of
the
community,
keen to find
out about
different
cultures and
eat their
way around
the world,
with top
tucker from
the Middle
East,
Pakistan,
Bangladesh,
Turkey,
Bosnian and
a host of
other Muslim
Countries…yummy!"

"What better
way to unite
communities
than through
tasting
different
types of
foods."

"There was
entertainment
galore for
the whole
family plus
information
and retail
booths."

The nikah of Adila,
the only daughter of
Anver and
Bilkish Omar of
Brisbane and Zakariyya,
son of
Mohamed Hanief
and Fatima Loonat
of Durban, South Africa took place
in the Westville Juma Masjid in
Durban, South
Africa on
Friday 24 January.

The reception was held on
Saturday 25 January at
Straven Court, Richmond,
KwaZulu Natal. The walimah
lunch was held on
Sunday 26 January at the Elangeni Hotel, Durban.

Women around
the world,
Muslim and
non-Muslims,
donned the
Hijab to
create
awareness
and help
foster
religious
tolerance
and
understanding.

Saturday
February 1
marked the
second year
that World
Hijab Day (WHD)
was held
around the
globe. The
initiative
was started
by American,
Nazma Khan,
to help
dispel the
myths of
Hijab being
a symbol of
oppression
and
segregation
and to break
misconceptions
behind the
importance
of modesty
for Muslim
women.

Khan moved
from
Bangladesh
to the US at
the age of
11. She
experienced
discrimination
being the
only girl
wearing a
Hijab and
felt the
only way to
end this
intolerance
was by
asking
fellow women
to
experience
the Hijab
themselves.

The movement
was
organized
solely
through
social
networking
sites. It
has
attracted
interest
from Muslims
and
non-Muslims
in more than
67 countries
worldwide.
Their
literature
has been
translated
in 23
languages.

Khan’s goal
this year is
to have 1
million
participants
worldwide.
Global
ambassadors
of the
initiative
are asking
women to
embrace
their motto,
“Better
Awareness.
Greater
Understanding.
Peaceful
World”.

The story of
World Hijab
Day by Nazma
Khan

A lecture
calling for
the support
of World
Hijab Day
was
delivered by
Mufti Menk
at Mubeena
Ebrahim
Primary
School in
Harare
Zimbabwe and
can be heard
here.

Media
''sensationalism''
is unfairly
linking
Islam to
terrorism
and
inflaming
tensions
between
Muslims and
other
Australians,
a detailed
study has
found.

The first
comprehensive
study of
community
attitudes in
Australia
into
radicalisation,
written by
Victoria
Police and
Victoria
University,
found most
of more than
500
community
leaders,
government
stakeholders
and everyday
Australians
surveyed
regarded the
risk of
terrorism as
fairly low.

They were
deeply
critical of
media
sensationalism
when
covering the
risk of
terrorism,
which an
''overwhelming
majority''
said was
unfairly
linking it
to Islam.
Some
respondents
felt the
reporting
was so far
slanted that
they wanted
greater
regulation
or
monitoring
of media
organisations.

Professor
Grossman
said the
responses
indicated
Australians
were ''less
susceptible
to media
sensationalising''
about the
risks of
violent
extremism
''than you
otherwise
might
think''.

Dr Tahiri
said the
research
showed there
was a
''perception
we are not
at risk or
under threat
as other
countries''.

''I suppose
there is a
kind of
truism,'' he
said. ''You
don't need a
lot of
people to
become
radicalised
and adopt
violent
extremism as
a platform
to do an
enormous
amount of
damage.''

One notable
finding was
divergent
attitudes
among
respondents
to major
anti-terror
operations
Pendennis
and Neath in
2006 and
2009, which
resulted in
21
convictions.

The
operations
centred on
plans to
attack an
army base in
Sydney in
2009, and a
case related
to a
conspiracy
involving
radical
preacher
Abdul Nacer
Benbrika.

While
government
respondents
almost
unanimously
felt the
operations
showed the
integrity of
Australia's
democratic
and justice
systems,
responses
from the
public were
very
different.

That
reflects
largely the
response of
Muslim
respondents
who said
they felt
the police
operations
were more
about
harassment
than
detecting
crime. Many
expressed
unease about
conspiracy
charges that
were based
on what
people
thought
rather than
what they
did.

Professor
Grossman
said this
had led to
Muslim
concerns the
raids were
''used to
damage the
entire
community''.
Some
respondents
pointed out
it was
Muslims
themselves
who had told
authorities
about some
of the
people later
targeted by
Operation
Neath.

Professor
Grossman
said
respondents
cited a
range of
factors
contributed
to violence,
including
racism and
marginalisation,
which could
''erode
social
cohesion''
and lead to
people
''feeling
they don't
belong and
they don't
have power
in a social
or political
system''.

The
research,
funded
through a
subcommittee
of the
Australia-New
Zealand
Counter-Terrorism
Committee,
would be
used to
understand
better how
to
''mitigate
violent
extremism'',
she said.

Respondents
said there
needed to be
a greater
focus on
education in
reducing the
appeal of
violent
extremism.

Joy,
excitement,
accomplishment
and hope
imbued the
beautiful
marquee and
gardens at
the Old
Government
House in
Parramatta
on 14
December
2013 – being
the
momentous
occasion of
the first
historic
graduation
of ISRA
Australia
and Centre
for Islamic
Studies and
Civilisation
of Charles
Sturt
University.

The
first
graduates
completed a
Master of
Islamic
Studies
course and
were diverse
not only in
age ranging
from 25 to
83 years but
also
representative
of different
cultural
backgrounds
including
Lebanese,
Pakistani,
Turkish,
Afghani,
Anglo-Celtic
and
Egyptian; as
well as
professional
backgrounds
including
finance,
law,
education,
business,
language and
academics.

The class’s
most senior
and
well-respected
graduate
Sheikh Sayed
Kandil (aka
‘Sheikh’)
expressed
his
gratitude
and thanks,
“By God
throughout
this course,
which has
been
organised by
the ISRA
brothers and
sisters, I
feel that
God has
preferred me
for that
kind of
study. I
have been
hailed
throughout
this study
for being
the youngest
student at
83 years
old, may God
reward you
all”.

Chancellor
of Charles
Sturt
University
Mr Lawrence
Willet AO
congratulated
the
graduates;
“You are now
better
placed with
your higher
education to
contribute
to making
Australia a
better
place.”

I don’t know
if you can
help me; I
don’t even
know where
to start. My
life is a
mess. I’ve
been a
Muslim for 5
years and
each Ramadan
instead of
increasing
in my emaan,
I question
whether I
can continue
living as a
Muslim. The
loneliness I
have felt
over the
last 5 years
is one I
never felt
before I
became
Muslim. I
feel it even
more in
Ramadan. I
receive so
many emails
about how to
complete the
Qu’ran in 30
days, how to
attain taqwa
but I just
struggle
trying to
get through
the days.

When I took
my shahadah,
so many
sisters
hugged me
and gave me
their phone
numbers but
after a few
weeks, they
didn’t
respond to
my calls or
my messages.
I’m so
alone, it
really
hurts. They
told me they
would help
me learn how
to pray. I
still don’t
know how to
pray. I’ve
tried
youtube and
books but
they don’t
work. I’m
really
struggling.
I phoned my
local masjid
and they
laughed at
me after I
told them
how long I
was Muslim
and couldn’t
pray. I’m so
down and
alone. I
wish I could
be like most
and look
forward to
Ramadan. I
wish I could
read the
Koran. I
wish I could
pray
taraweeh. I
wish I
didn’t feel
so alone. I
have tried;
I went to
the masjid
to break my
fast. But
nobody spoke
to me. They
offered me
food and
drink but
then after
praying they
just ate in
their little
circles
smiling and
laughing.
You’re my
last attempt
– can you
help me? I’m
desperate.”

Mandy

Sadly, the
SOLACE team
receive many
emails like
that of
Mandy’s.
There’s a
sound
proportion
of revert
sisters who
receive
support and
they really
work
diligently
with their
SOLACE
support
workers to
make
positive
change in
their lives.
In contrast
however,
there are
sisters like
Mandy who
disappear
despite our
willingness
to support
them. It is
as though
they are
scared to
receive
support only
to be let
down for the
umpteenth
time. As a
team, we can
only pray
and make
du’aa that
they will
meet
beautiful
sincere
Muslims who
will help
them as they
should have
been helped
during those
first few
fragile
weeks of
being a very
new Muslim.

The picture
for most new
reverts is
indeed a
very
positive
one. One
needs only
to attend a
shahaadah
ceremony and
observe the
mixture of
excitement
and
nervousness
sprawled
across the
face of the
one taking
that amazing
step;
crossing
from the
fields of
kufr into
the vastness
of tawheed.
It is such a
joyous
moment –
both for the
new Muslim
and for
those who
are present,
witnessing
the guidance
of Allah
unfold in an
individual’s
life. Most
faces are
streaming
with tears
as their
hearts
increase in
faith in the
One and Only
Creator,
Allah (Subhanahu
wa ta’ala).

It is
equally
overwhelming
for the new
believer as
she is
swamped with
hugs,
kisses,
books,
hijabs and
telephone
numbers.
There is a
sense of a
new
immediate
family, and
the fear of
what their
own
non-Muslim
family will
say and do
is subdued
by the hope
that their
new Muslim
family will
be there no
matter what.

Quite
tragically,
the
situation
can at times
be very
different
just as
Mandy
described in
her email.
More than
likely,
brothers and
sisters that
attend a
shahaadah
ceremony
really do
have a good
intention to
keep in
touch.
Certainly
excuses must
be made;
perhaps they
imagined
that the new
believer has
a solid
support
network,
after all,
there were
so many
telephone
numbers
handed over
that day.
Others may
be busy in
their own
lives and
feel
pressurised
with the
responsibility
of helping a
new Muslim.
Passing on a
few books
and CDs is
sufficient
but what if
they needed
somewhere to
stay?

The sad
reality is
that too
many
brothers and
sisters
leave the
responsibility
to others
assuming
that there
is enough
support when
in fact, the
new Muslim
has
absolutely
no one to
support her.
It is at
this
delicate
time that
she
definitely
needs
support as
the onset of
tests
pervade her
life.

In fact, we
now have
several
large-scale
projections
based on
population-growth
trends and
immigration
rates which
show that
the Muslim
populations
of Europe
are growing
increasingly
slowly and
that by the
middle of
this century
- - even if
immigration
rates are
not reduced
- - the
proportion
of Muslims
in Europe
will
probably
peak
somewhere
short of 10%
(it is
currently
around 7%).
By that
point,
Muslims will
have family
sizes and
age profiles
not that
different
from Europe
in general.

One of Arab
world’s most
successful
businessmen,
Al Amoudi’s
father is
Hadhrami
Yemeni and
his mother
is
Ethiopian.
He
immigrated
to Saudi
Arabia in
1965 and
became a
Saudi
citizen, and
is said to
be the
largest
foreign
investor in
both Sweden
and
Ethiopia. Al
Amoudi made
his first
fortune in
construction
and real
estate
before
branching
out into
buying oil
refineries
in Morocco
and Sweden
and his
native
Ethiopia.
His holding
and
operating
companies,
Corral Group
and the
Midroc
Group,
employ more
than 40,000
people.
Corral Group
has an
investment
portfolio in
Europe and
the Middle
East that
includes
Preem
Petroleum,
the largest
integrated
petroleum
firm in
Sweden,
Svenska
Petroleum &
Exploration,
SAMIR, Naft
Services
Company
(Saudi
Arabia) and
Fortuna
Holdings
(Lebanon).

I
would like thank Queensland’s Muslim community for
their congratulatory phone calls, texts and emails
as one of this year’s recipient’s for the
prestigious ‘Australian Police Medal’. I am honoured
and privileged.

I feel honoured to be part of an organisation that
takes the business of engaging with communities from
so many different cultural, linguistic and religious
backgrounds as one its core functions to the
community of Queensland.

I will continue in my role in working with all
members of our Muslim community in creating and
maintaining a strong and positive relationship and
empowering our youth as valuable assets to our
collective society.
I also look forward to a long lasting and harmonious
relationship with you.

Muhamed Jusic
was quiet throughout much of our journey and
we only learned afterwards why. He had his
own story to tell. From the Kenyan mall
massacre and the Boston Marathon to renewed
violence in Iraq, Muslim extremists capture
the headlines. Yet between the grim
captions, there are other stories and there
is hope. We, a Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox
Jew, know this firsthand.

We
experienced an unprecedented, some even
called it an historic trip, that involved 12
influential Muslim imams, professors, and
business leaders from around the world.
These Muslim leaders agreed to travel with
us, some against the opinion of family and
friends and with safety concerns back home.
Why? Because the trip was to Nazi
concentration camps in Germany and Poland
and the Holocaust is commonly misunderstood
and misused within the Muslim world to
foment anti-Semitism and anti-West hate.
These leaders felt obligated to bear witness
to the truth. They then took home what they
saw and condemned anti-Semitism in all
forms.

Among them
was Muhamed Jusic from Bosnia and
Herzegovina, a country with its own
atrocities and rise of evil. "I could not
stop comparing horrors of Holocaust with my
own experience and childhood memories of
'ethnic cleansing'. It was very hard to put
into words all my overwhelming feelings and
thoughts while visiting actual places where
people became the victims of the biggest
atrocity in European history. I feared I
might sound pathetic, after all, what could
I possibly say that was not said by so many
before me? How can I possibly make some
sense out of it all when the greatest minds
in human history cannot explain to us what
happened to humanity? My own story haunted
me during trip. But I did not have courage,
unlike many of the Holocaust survivors we
met, to openly share my story with the
others."

CENTRAL
AFRICAN REPUBLIC: While their Southern
African neighbours remain oblivious to their
suffering, roughly 700 000 of the Central
African Republic’s (CAR) population is in
danger of being hacked to death because
they’re Muslim.

“If the international community doesn’t get
more robustly involved we’re looking at a
situation where there might not be any
Muslims left in the CAR. It’s gotten to
those dire types of terms,” said Lewis Mudge
on Cii Radio.

A researcher in the Africa division at the
Human Rights Watch organisation, Mudge said
they were concerned with the “ongoing
targeting of Muslim civilians” since early
December 2013.

The photos Saudi Arabia
doesn't want seen – and proof Islam's most
holy relics are being demolished in Mecca

SAUDI ARABIA: The authorities
in Saudi Arabia have begun dismantling some
of the oldest sections of Islam’s most
important mosque as part of a highly
controversial multi-billion pound expansion.

Photographs obtained by The
Independent reveal how workers with drills
and mechanical diggers have started
demolishing some Ottoman and Abbasid
sections on the eastern side of the Masjid
al-Haram in Mecca.

The building, which is also known as the
Grand Mosque, is the holiest site in Islam
because it contains the Kaaba – the point to
which all Muslims face when praying. The
columns are the last remaining sections of
the mosque which date back more than a few
hundred years and form the inner perimeter
on the outskirts of the white marble floor
surrounding the Kaaba.

The new photos, taken over the last few
weeks, have caused alarm among
archaeologists and come as Prince Charles –
a long-term supporter of preserving
architectural heritage – flew into Saudi
Arabia yesterday for a visit with the
Duchess of Cornwall. The timing of his tour
has been criticised by human rights
campaigners after the Saudis shot seven men
in public earlier this week despite major
concerns about their trial and the fact that
some of the men were juveniles at the time
of their alleged crimes.

Why the great
Sunni-Shia conflict is getting ever closer
to the surface

Syria has
fallen apart. Major cities in Iraq have
fallen to al-Qa’eda. Egypt may have
stabilised slightly after a counter-coup.
But Lebanon is starting once again to
fragment. Beneath all these facts — beneath
all the explosions, exhortations and blood —
certain themes are emerging.

Some years ago, before the Arab ‘Spring’
ever sprung, I remember asking one top
security official about the region. What, I
wondered, was their single biggest fear? The
answer was striking and precise: ‘That the
region will clarify.’ That is a fear which
now appears to be coming true.

The Middle East is not simply falling apart.
It is taking a different shape, along very
clear lines — far older ones than those the
western powers rudely imposed on the region
nearly a century ago. Across the whole
continent those borders are in the process
of cracking and breaking. But while that
happens the region’s two most ambitious
centres of power — the house of Saud and the
Ayatollahs in Iran — find themselves
fighting each other not just for influence
but even, perhaps, for survival.

The way in
which what is going on in the Middle East
has become a religious war has long been
obvious. Just take this radio exchange,
caught at the ground level earlier this
month, between two foreign fighters in
Syria, the first from al-Qa’eda’s Islamic
State in Iraq and Syria [ISIS], the second
from the Free Syrian army [FSA]. ‘You
apostate infidels,’ says the first. ‘We’ve
declared you to be “apostates”, you
heretics. You don’t know Allah or His
Prophet, you creature. What kind of Islam do
you follow?’ To which the FSA fighter
responds, ‘Why did you come here? Go fight
Israel, brother.’ Only to be told, ‘Fighting
apostates like you people takes precedence
over fighting the Jews and the Christians.
All imams concur on that.’

Lord Trees posed the question: To ask Her
Majesty’s Government what assessment they
have made of the ethical, legal and
religious factors that influence the way in
which some animals are slaughtered in the
United Kingdom.

The ensuing debate heard from members
concerned about animal welfare and the use
of pre-stunning in the preparation of halal
and kosher meat. Some members referred to
the methods as 'barbaric' and 'absolutely
unacceptable'.

Lord Trees, who raised the issue, argued
“unnecessary suffering is being caused to a
very substantial number of animals by
slaughter without stunning.”

He said, “In Europe, Sweden, Norway,
Switzerland and Iceland have disallowed
non-stun slaughter, and New Zealand does not
permit the non-stun abattoir slaughter of
mammals. Significantly, New Zealand exports
large amounts of sheep meat that has been
reversibly stunned and certified as halal to
Muslim communities in Asia and the Middle
East.”

Although he argues for the need for both
Muslim and Jewish communities to reflect on
their religious practices, Lord Trees puts
forward the question “Is it not time to
adopt stunning to preclude the possibility
of unnecessary suffer – as some Muslim food
authorities have allowed?”

In addition to the method of slaughter, the
question of labelling of foodstuffs prepared
without stunning also arose in the debate
with Lord Trees stating: “The EU is
currently conducting a study on providing
consumers with the relevant information on
the stunning of animals by labelling of meat
products. In the UK, the beef and lamb trade
organisation EBLEX is working on the issue
of clear labelling with halal producers.
Will the Government support measures to
label meat appropriately to enable consumers
to make informed choices?”

Responding for the Government, The
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, Lord De Mauley, said that “While
the Government would prefer to see all
animals stunned before slaughter, we respect
the rights of Jewish and Muslim communities
to eat meat prepared in accordance with
their religious beliefs.”

Lord Sheikh clarified that “there has
never been any conclusive scientific
evidence to suggest that religious slaughter
is less humane than conventional mechanical
methods…In halal slaughter the animal ceases
to feel pain due to the immediate brain
starvation of blood and oxygen. For the
first few seconds after the incision is
made, the animal does not feel any pain.
This is followed by a few seconds of deep
unconsciousness as large quantities of blood
are drained from the body. Thereafter,
readings indicate no pain at all.”

The proper labelling of food has become an
important area in meat production with
demands for pre-stunned meat to be
appropriately identified so that consumers
may make informed choices.

SOUTH AFRICA:
Japan's whaling mothership has been awarded
a halal certificate to prove the whales it
takes from the Antarctic Ocean are
slaughtered in accordance with Muslim law, a
company spokesman said Wednesday.
The Nisshin Maru was certified last year
before it headed off to the southern ocean
for this season's controversial hunt, a
spokesman for ship owner Kyodo Senpaku,
said.

"Special inspectors examined the ship when
it was docked in Hiroshima last year," he
told AFP. "It was certified officially on
November 24."

The inspectors advised workers on the
factory ship to change the disinfectant
liquid used for cleaning hands to avoid any
possible contamination from the alcohol
solution, he said.

"If whale meat, which is by-product of the
research whaling, can be consumed as a good
protein source for Muslims in Japan, I think
it is a good thing," he said.

The company made the move after one of its
business partners suggested whale meat be
made halal to increase the choice of meat
available to Japan's Islamic community, he
said. Muslims are barred by their religion
from eating pork.

The government does not produce official
figures on the number of adherents to
minority religions in Japan, but the Japan
Muslim Association told AFP there were
around 100 000 Muslims in Japan – less than
0.08% of the population.

The commercial hunting of whales is
prohibited in the Southern Ocean Whale
Sanctuary, which was designated by the
International Whaling Commission in 1994,
but Japan catches the animals there under a
"scientific research" loophole in the
moratorium.

It makes no secret of the fact that they end
up on plates and the results of the research
the programme is carrying out are not
readily available.

Militant environmentalist group Sea Shepherd
annually pursues the whaling fleet through
the ocean in the hope of disrupting the
hunt.

Earlier this month they claimed the Nisshin
Maru had been separated from the other
vessels and the hunt was in disarray,
although Japanese fisheries officials said
it was business as usual.

News of the halal certification came as
international attention was focused on the
small town of Taiji in western Japan, where
fishermen have slaughtered dozens of
dolphins.

During the
Middle Ages,
when Europe
was plunged
into the
Dark Ages,
Arab
scholars and
historians
translated
most of the
works of the
Greek
scholars,
thereby
preserving
some of the
greatest
intellectual
achievements
that are the
cornerstone
of Western
civilization.

For the next
few weeks
CCN will
offer an
English word
that has, as
its origin,
the Arabic
language:

1. Place ginger
garlic in olive oil
2. Add cubed chicken, salt and chilly powder and
cook until chicken is done.
3. Add chutney and braise until mixture is
fairly dry but still a little saucy.
4. In a casserole layer tomato chutney to cover
the base.
5. On a third of the lasagne sheet place 1 tab
chicken filling on the edge and roll.
6. With the seam side down place the cannelloni
in the casserole and continue until the
casserole has been filled.
7. Place ½ cup of water into it.
8. Mix the béchamel sauce with the green
chillies and pour over the cannelloni to cover
it completely – as any exposed cannelloni will
dry out.
9. Top with cheese and cover with foil.
10. Bake on 180deg for half an hour, then remove
the foil and bake for further 5 mins.

So fear
Allah as much as you can;
listen and obey and spend in
charity for the benefit of
your own souls. And those
saved from the covetousness
of their own souls, - they
are the ones that achieve
prosperity.

1. All Islamic Event dates given above are tentative and
subject to the sighting of the moon.

2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in
the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, exceptfor Lailatul Mehraj,
Lailatul Bhahraat
and
Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event starting in the
evening of the corresponding day.

The weekly program schedule is as follows:
Mondays: Tafseer
Wednesdays: Tafseer
The above lessons will start at 7:30 pm and will go for
approximately 1/2 an hour each day.
All brothers and sisters are welcome.

Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.

It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.

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